US20080217450A1 - Hand-held shredding device for paper or the like - Google Patents
Hand-held shredding device for paper or the like Download PDFInfo
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- US20080217450A1 US20080217450A1 US12/073,761 US7376108A US2008217450A1 US 20080217450 A1 US20080217450 A1 US 20080217450A1 US 7376108 A US7376108 A US 7376108A US 2008217450 A1 US2008217450 A1 US 2008217450A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- hand
- held
- shredding device
- housing
- shredding
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- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B02—CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING; PREPARATORY TREATMENT OF GRAIN FOR MILLING
- B02C—CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING IN GENERAL; MILLING GRAIN
- B02C18/00—Disintegrating by knives or other cutting or tearing members which chop material into fragments
- B02C18/0007—Disintegrating by knives or other cutting or tearing members which chop material into fragments specially adapted for disintegrating documents
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B02—CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING; PREPARATORY TREATMENT OF GRAIN FOR MILLING
- B02C—CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING IN GENERAL; MILLING GRAIN
- B02C18/00—Disintegrating by knives or other cutting or tearing members which chop material into fragments
- B02C18/06—Disintegrating by knives or other cutting or tearing members which chop material into fragments with rotating knives
- B02C18/14—Disintegrating by knives or other cutting or tearing members which chop material into fragments with rotating knives within horizontal containers
- B02C18/142—Disintegrating by knives or other cutting or tearing members which chop material into fragments with rotating knives within horizontal containers with two or more inter-engaging rotatable cutter assemblies
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B02—CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING; PREPARATORY TREATMENT OF GRAIN FOR MILLING
- B02C—CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING IN GENERAL; MILLING GRAIN
- B02C18/00—Disintegrating by knives or other cutting or tearing members which chop material into fragments
- B02C18/06—Disintegrating by knives or other cutting or tearing members which chop material into fragments with rotating knives
- B02C18/16—Details
- B02C18/22—Feed or discharge means
- B02C18/2225—Feed means
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B02—CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING; PREPARATORY TREATMENT OF GRAIN FOR MILLING
- B02C—CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING IN GENERAL; MILLING GRAIN
- B02C18/00—Disintegrating by knives or other cutting or tearing members which chop material into fragments
- B02C18/0007—Disintegrating by knives or other cutting or tearing members which chop material into fragments specially adapted for disintegrating documents
- B02C2018/0046—Shape or construction of frames, housings or casings
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B02—CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING; PREPARATORY TREATMENT OF GRAIN FOR MILLING
- B02C—CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING IN GENERAL; MILLING GRAIN
- B02C18/00—Disintegrating by knives or other cutting or tearing members which chop material into fragments
- B02C18/0007—Disintegrating by knives or other cutting or tearing members which chop material into fragments specially adapted for disintegrating documents
- B02C2018/0053—Disintegrating by knives or other cutting or tearing members which chop material into fragments specially adapted for disintegrating documents hand-operated
Definitions
- the present invention relates generally to shredding devices and more particularly to a hand-held shredder for paper or the like.
- Shredding devices are generally used to destroy paper documents or the like and thereby prevent the disclosure of confidential information.
- Most shredding devices on the market today are electric and/or battery operated and are typically sized and designed for home and/or office use such that they are not portable. Thus, students and business men and women who travel are often left without an efficient and effective way to destroy documents when away from the home or office.
- a hand-held shredding device which may be low cost, portable, compact, light-weight, and/or manually operable.
- the hand-held shredding device may provide an effective and efficient way for a user to destroy paper documents or the like when not at home or in the office and thereby prevent disclosure of confidential information contained in such documents.
- the hand-held shredding device may, for example, be sized and designed to be stowed in a user's briefcase, backpack, bag, and/or carry-on luggage.
- a hand-held shredding device for paper documents or the like.
- the hand-held shredding device may include a housing sized and configured to be hand-held.
- the housing may include a first opening configured to receive an object to be shredded and a second opening configured to allow the object to exit the housing upon being shredded.
- a shredding assembly may be disposed within the housing.
- the shredding assembly may include a first plurality of blades disposed on a first rotatable shaft and a second plurality of blades disposed on a second rotatable shaft.
- the first and second rotatable shafts may be coupled to one another through a geared connection and may also be arranged to cooperate with one another to shred the object.
- a hand-operable crank may be connected to an end of one of the first or second rotatable shafts of the shredding assembly.
- the hand-operable crank may be configured to be operable by a user's hand to rotate one of the first or second rotatable shafts and thereby provide power to the shredding assembly to contemporaneously shred the object while moving the object towards the second opening.
- the hand-held shredding device may further include a plurality of protrusions arranged along a periphery of the first opening to contact the object when the object is received in the first opening.
- the plurality of protrusions may be alternatingly arranged on opposite longitudinally extending edges of the first opening.
- the hand-held shredding device may further include a plurality of guide elements extending towards the second opening to guide and support the object during shredding.
- the plurality of guide elements may be disposed adjacent to the first opening and extend substantially towards the second opening between the first and second rotatable shafts.
- Each of the plurality of guide elements may be positioned between two adjacent blades disposed on one of the first or second rotatable shafts.
- a second plurality of guide elements may be positioned adjacent to the second opening to guide the object towards the second opening after shredding.
- Each of the second plurality of guide elements may include an inclined surface arranged to guide the object towards the second opening after shredding.
- FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of a hand-held shredding device according to an embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 2 depicts the hand-held shredding device of FIG. 1 in use
- FIG. 3 depicts a top view of the hand-held shredding device of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 4 depicts a bottom view of the hand-held shredding device of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 5 depicts a front view of the hand-held shredding device of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 6 depicts a side view of the hand-held shredding device of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 7 depicts an exploded perspective view of the hand-held shredding device of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 8 depicts an exploded perspective view of a hand-held shredding device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 9 depicts a bottom perspective view of the hand-held shredding device of FIG. 1 with a bottom housing member removed to expose a shredding assembly disposed within the housing according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 10 depicts a top perspective view of a bottom member of the housing according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- directional words such as “top,” “bottom,” “upwardly,” and “downwardly” are employed by way of description and not limitation with respect to the orientation of the apparatus and its various components as illustrated in the drawings.
- directional words such as “axial” and “radial” are also employed by way of description and not limitation.
- hand-held may refer to something that is small enough or compact enough to be used or operated while being held in a hand or hands of a user.
- FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of a hand-held shredding device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- the hand-held shredding device 10 may include a housing 12 and a crank or handle 14 .
- the housing 12 may include a first member 16 and a second member 18 which may be permanently or removably coupled to one another.
- the first member 16 may include a first opening 20 which may be configured to receive an object (not shown) to be shredded or destroyed by a shredding assembly (not shown in FIG. 1 ) disposed within the housing 12 .
- the shredding assembly is discussed in further detail below with reference to FIGS. 7-9 .
- the object may be, for example, a paper document containing confidential or private information.
- the crank 14 may be rotatable relative to the housing 12 and may be arranged to be manually operable by a hand of a user (not shown in FIG. 1 ) to provide power to the shredding assembly to shred or destroy the object received through the first opening 20 in the housing 12 .
- the housing 12 may further include a gripping portion 15 which may be, for example, an indentation or recess disposed at an opposite end of the housing 12 from the crank 14 and configured to be gripped by the hand of the user during shredding.
- FIG. 2 depicts the hand-held shredding device 10 of FIG. 1 in use.
- the user U may grasp the hand-held shredding device 10 with one hand on the crank 14 and the other hand on the gripping portion 15 .
- An object D such as, for example, a paper document containing confidential or private information may be inserted into the first opening 20 .
- the user 20 may rotate the crank 14 and thereby provide power to the shredding assembly (not shown) to move the object D through the housing 12 while simultaneously shredding or destroying the object D.
- the modified object D′ may exit the housing 12 on a different side and in a shredded or destroyed state.
- FIG. 3 depicts a top view of the hand-held shredding device 10 according to an embodiment of the invention.
- the first opening 20 in the housing 12 may extend longitudinally along the hand-held shredding device 10 between the crank 14 and the gripping portion 15 .
- a periphery of the first opening 20 may include a plurality of protrusions 22 extending transversely into the first opening 20 .
- the plurality of protrusions 22 may be formed integrally with the first member 16 of the housing 12 and may be arranged in an alternating fashion on the longitudinally extending edges defining the periphery of the first opening 20 .
- the protrusions 22 may serve to bend or corrugate the object D upon receipt within the first opening 20 and thereby promote linear entry of the object D through the shredding assembly (not shown) by inhibiting longitudinal movement of the object D.
- the blades 24 of the shredding assembly can be seen in the embodiment depicted in FIG. 3 .
- FIG. 4 depicts a bottom view of the hand-held shredding device 10 according to an embodiment of the invention.
- the second member 18 of the housing 12 may include a second opening 30 through which the object D′ may exit after being shredded or destroyed by the blades 24 of the shredding assembly.
- the second opening 30 may be arranged on the housing 12 substantially opposite the first opening 20 such that the object D may have a substantially linear path through the housing 12 .
- the second opening 30 may have substantially the same size and orientation as the first opening 20 .
- the second member 18 may include a gripping portion 17 which may be, for example, an indentation or recess disposed at the same end of the housing 12 as the gripping portion 15 and configured to be gripped by the hand of the user during shredding.
- the gripping portion 17 may effectively mirror gripping portion 15 as shown in FIG. 5 which depicts a front view of the hand-held shredding device 10 of FIGS. 1-4 .
- a pair of fasteners 26 such as, for example, but not limited to, screws, may be inserted through the gripping portion 17 to secure the first and second members 16 , 18 of the housing 12 together.
- FIG. 6 depicts a side view of the hand-held shredding device 10 of FIGS. 1-5 .
- the crank 14 may include a curved or recessed portion 32 which may serve to provide an ergonomic gripping portion for a user's hand on the crank 14 .
- the crank 14 may be formed in a variety of shapes and configurations as will be apparent to one of skill in the art. In general, the crank 14 may have a cross-section of substantially the same size and shape as the housing 12 to maintain a compact configuration such that the held shredding device 10 can be easily stowed, for example, in a bag, backpack, purse, or carry-on luggage.
- FIG. 7 depicts an exploded perspective view of the hand-held shredding device 10 of FIGS. 1-6 .
- the hand-held shredding device 10 may further include a shredding assembly 40 disposed within the first and second members 16 , 18 of the housing 12 and configured to shred/destroy an object D received through the first opening 20 .
- the second member 18 may have integrally formed reinforcing gussets 66 disposed along the inner walls thereof to add strength and rigidity to the housing 12 while allowing for decreased weight.
- the shredding assembly 40 may include at least two rotatable shafts 42 extending parallel to one another and longitudinally within the housing 12 .
- An end 44 of one of the shafts 42 may be directly connected to the crank 14 such as, for example, by extending outside of the housing 12 through a housing connection plate 45 and being secured within an opening 46 in the crank 14 .
- the housing connection plate 45 may include a hole 48 through which the at least one shaft 44 may extend.
- the housing connection plate 45 may also include a plurality of additional holes for receiving fasteners (not shown in FIG. 7 —see FIG. 9 ) for connecting the first and second members 16 , 18 of the housing 12 to one another.
- a first bearing plate 50 and a second bearing plate 52 may be positioned within the housing 12 to support to each of the first and second rotatable shafts 42 .
- the first bearing plate 50 may include holes 51 sized and configured to receive and support a first pair of journal sleeves 54 disposed on the shafts 42 .
- the second bearing plate 52 may include holes 53 sized and configured to receive and support a second pair of journal sleeves 56 disposed on an opposite end of the shafts 42 .
- a pair of gears 58 may be fixedly secured on the shafts 42 in driving connection with one another so that the rotational power input to one shaft 42 by manual manipulation of the crank 14 may be transferred to the other shaft 42 .
- Each of the shafts 42 may further include a plurality of axially spaced blades 24 disposed thereon.
- the shafts 42 may have, for example, a non-circular cross-section or a circular cross-section with a key-way such that each component disposed thereon (e.g., the journal sleeves 54 , 56 , the gears 58 , the blades 24 , and/or the spacers 60 , 62 ) cannot rotate relative to the shaft 42 .
- one or more of the components may be integrally formed on or permanently adhered to a respective shaft 42 .
- Each of the blades 24 may be spaced from an adjacent blade 24 by one of either a first spacer 60 or a second spacer 62 .
- Each first spacer 60 may have a greater axial dimension than each second spacer 62 and the first and second spacers 60 , 62 may be disposed along the shaft 42 in an alternating fashion separated in each instance by a blade 24 .
- each first spacer 60 may have an axial dimension greater than an axial dimension of one second spacer 62 combined with the thickness of two adjacent blades 24 .
- the combination of one second spacer 62 and two adjacent blades 24 shall be hereinafter termed a blade assembly 64 .
- each blade assembly 64 on one of the shafts 42 may be axially offset from corresponding blade assemblies 64 on the other shaft 42 by a least the axial dimension of a blade assembly 64 plus the thickness of a blade 24 . That is, the blade assemblies 64 on the two shafts 42 may effectively alternate along the longitudinal dimension of the device such that each blade assembly 64 on one shaft 42 may be aligned with a first spacer 60 on the other shaft 42 . In this embodiment, a cutting edge of each of the plurality of blades 24 on one shaft 42 may overlap with the cutting edge of a blade 24 on the other shaft 42 on the outside of each blade assembly 64 .
- FIG. 8 depicts an exploded perspective view of a hand-held shredding device 10 ′ according to another embodiment of the present invention.
- the hand-held shredding device 10 ′ is substantially the same as the hand-held shredding device 10 according to the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1-7 except that the device 10 ′ has a shorter overall longitudinal length and some other features.
- the device 10 depicted in FIGS. 1-7 may be, for example, sized to receive and shred larger objects D such as, for example, documents printed on standard sized paper (e.g., letter, legal, A4, etc.) even though folding may be required.
- the device 10 ′ may be sized to receive and shred smaller common objects D such as, for example, but not limited to, paper receipts and the like.
- the first member 16 ′ of the housing 12 ′ may include a longitudinally smaller first opening 20 ′ relative to the first opening 20 in housing 12 above.
- the second member 18 ′ of the housing 12 ′ and the shafts 42 ′ may be longitudinally shorter than second member 18 of the housing 12 and the shafts 42 described above.
- the second member 18 ′ may include object support members 68 disposed at each end of the second opening 30 ′ (not shown in FIG. 8 ) and extending towards the first opening 20 ′ in the first member 16 ′.
- the object support members 68 may provide lateral support to an object D during shredding by the shredding assembly 40 ′.
- FIG. 9 depicts a bottom perspective view of the hand-held shredding device 10 according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-7 except that the second member 18 of the housing 12 is removed to show the shredding assembly 40 disposed within the housing 12 .
- the first member 16 may include a plurality of guide elements 70 extending from the area adjacent both longitudinal edges of the first opening 20 toward the second opening 30 in the second member 18 (not shown) and between the shafts 42 of the shredding assembly 40 . More particularly, each guide element 70 may be a finger-like member extending between two adjacent blade assemblies 64 on a respective shaft 42 , i.e., the space between two blades 24 defined by one of the first spacers 60 .
- the guide elements 70 may serve to assist in keeping the object D in contact with the blades 24 during shredding as the object D passes through the device 10 .
- an additional journal sleeve 72 may also be disposed on the shaft 42 for rotary support within the hole 48 in the housing connection plate 45 .
- a plurality of fasteners 74 may also be employed for connecting the first and second members 16 , 18 of the housing 12 to one another at the end adjacent to the crank 14 .
- the first member 16 may further include a portion 76 a of a snap-fit connection.
- FIG. 10 depicts a top perspective view of the second member 18 of the housing 12 according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-7 and 9 .
- a plurality of second guide elements 80 may be disposed along the longitudinal edges of the second opening 30 .
- Each of the second guide elements 80 may include an inclined surface configured to direct a shredded object D′ towards the second opening 30 .
- the second member 18 may include at least one fastening support 86 for receiving the plurality of fasteners 74 (see FIG. 9 ) in order to connect the first and second members 16 , 18 of the housing 12 to one another.
- the second member 18 may further include a portion 76 b which is configured to be coupled to the other portion 76 a of the snap-fit connection. Holes 88 may be positioned on the second member 18 for receiving the fasteners 26 . Also shown in FIG. 10 are the object support members 68 discussed in reference to the embodiment depicted in FIG. 8 as well as first and second receiving portions 82 and 84 which may be configured to receive and support the bearing plates 52 and 50 , respectively.
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Abstract
A hand-held shredding device is provided including a housing sized and configured to be hand-held. The housing may include a first opening configured to receive an object to be shredded and a second opening configured to allow the object to exit the housing upon being shredded. A shredding assembly may be disposed within the housing. The shredding assembly may include a first plurality of blades disposed on a first rotatable shaft and a second plurality of blades disposed on a second rotatable shaft. The first and second rotatable shafts may be coupled to one another through a geared connection. The first and second pluralities of blades may be arranged to cooperate with one another to shred the object. A hand-operable crank may be connected to an end of one of the first or second rotatable shafts of the shredding assembly. The hand-operable crank may be configured to be operable by a user's hand to rotate one of the first or second rotatable shafts and thereby provide power to the shredding assembly to contemporaneously shred the object while moving the object towards the second opening.
Description
- This application is related to and claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/905,588, filed Mar. 8, 2007, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates generally to shredding devices and more particularly to a hand-held shredder for paper or the like.
- 2. Related Art
- Shredding devices are generally used to destroy paper documents or the like and thereby prevent the disclosure of confidential information. Most shredding devices on the market today are electric and/or battery operated and are typically sized and designed for home and/or office use such that they are not portable. Thus, students and business men and women who travel are often left without an efficient and effective way to destroy documents when away from the home or office.
- According to an illustrative aspect of the invention, a hand-held shredding device is provided which may be low cost, portable, compact, light-weight, and/or manually operable. The hand-held shredding device may provide an effective and efficient way for a user to destroy paper documents or the like when not at home or in the office and thereby prevent disclosure of confidential information contained in such documents. The hand-held shredding device may, for example, be sized and designed to be stowed in a user's briefcase, backpack, bag, and/or carry-on luggage.
- In an embodiment of the present invention a hand-held shredding device for paper documents or the like is provided. The hand-held shredding device may include a housing sized and configured to be hand-held. The housing may include a first opening configured to receive an object to be shredded and a second opening configured to allow the object to exit the housing upon being shredded. A shredding assembly may be disposed within the housing. The shredding assembly may include a first plurality of blades disposed on a first rotatable shaft and a second plurality of blades disposed on a second rotatable shaft. The first and second rotatable shafts may be coupled to one another through a geared connection and may also be arranged to cooperate with one another to shred the object. A hand-operable crank may be connected to an end of one of the first or second rotatable shafts of the shredding assembly. The hand-operable crank may be configured to be operable by a user's hand to rotate one of the first or second rotatable shafts and thereby provide power to the shredding assembly to contemporaneously shred the object while moving the object towards the second opening.
- In another embodiment of the invention, the hand-held shredding device may further include a plurality of protrusions arranged along a periphery of the first opening to contact the object when the object is received in the first opening. The plurality of protrusions may be alternatingly arranged on opposite longitudinally extending edges of the first opening.
- In still another embodiment, the hand-held shredding device may further include a plurality of guide elements extending towards the second opening to guide and support the object during shredding. The plurality of guide elements may be disposed adjacent to the first opening and extend substantially towards the second opening between the first and second rotatable shafts. Each of the plurality of guide elements may be positioned between two adjacent blades disposed on one of the first or second rotatable shafts. A second plurality of guide elements may be positioned adjacent to the second opening to guide the object towards the second opening after shredding. Each of the second plurality of guide elements may include an inclined surface arranged to guide the object towards the second opening after shredding.
- Further features and advantages of the invention, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the invention, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
- The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following, more particular description of embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements.
- Unless otherwise indicated, the accompanying drawing figures are not to scale.
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FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of a hand-held shredding device according to an embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 2 depicts the hand-held shredding device ofFIG. 1 in use; -
FIG. 3 depicts a top view of the hand-held shredding device ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 4 depicts a bottom view of the hand-held shredding device ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 5 depicts a front view of the hand-held shredding device ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 6 depicts a side view of the hand-held shredding device ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 7 depicts an exploded perspective view of the hand-held shredding device ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 8 depicts an exploded perspective view of a hand-held shredding device according to another embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 9 depicts a bottom perspective view of the hand-held shredding device ofFIG. 1 with a bottom housing member removed to expose a shredding assembly disposed within the housing according to an embodiment of the present invention; and -
FIG. 10 depicts a top perspective view of a bottom member of the housing according to an embodiment of the present invention. - Various embodiments of the invention are discussed in detail below. While specific embodiments are discussed, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected and it should be understood that this is done for illustration purposes only. A person skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other components and configurations can be used without parting from the spirit and scope of the invention. Each specific element includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.
- In the following description of certain embodiments of the invention, directional words such as “top,” “bottom,” “upwardly,” and “downwardly” are employed by way of description and not limitation with respect to the orientation of the apparatus and its various components as illustrated in the drawings. Similarly, directional words such as “axial” and “radial” are also employed by way of description and not limitation.
- In describing the invention, the following definitions are applicable throughout (including above).
- The term “hand-held” may refer to something that is small enough or compact enough to be used or operated while being held in a hand or hands of a user.
-
FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of a hand-heldshredding device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The hand-heldshredding device 10 may include ahousing 12 and a crank or handle 14. Thehousing 12 may include afirst member 16 and asecond member 18 which may be permanently or removably coupled to one another. Thefirst member 16 may include afirst opening 20 which may be configured to receive an object (not shown) to be shredded or destroyed by a shredding assembly (not shown inFIG. 1 ) disposed within thehousing 12. The shredding assembly is discussed in further detail below with reference toFIGS. 7-9 . The object may be, for example, a paper document containing confidential or private information. Thecrank 14 may be rotatable relative to thehousing 12 and may be arranged to be manually operable by a hand of a user (not shown inFIG. 1 ) to provide power to the shredding assembly to shred or destroy the object received through thefirst opening 20 in thehousing 12. As shown inFIG. 1 , thehousing 12 may further include agripping portion 15 which may be, for example, an indentation or recess disposed at an opposite end of thehousing 12 from thecrank 14 and configured to be gripped by the hand of the user during shredding. -
FIG. 2 depicts the hand-heldshredding device 10 ofFIG. 1 in use. The user U may grasp the hand-heldshredding device 10 with one hand on thecrank 14 and the other hand on the grippingportion 15. An object D such as, for example, a paper document containing confidential or private information may be inserted into thefirst opening 20. Once the object D is received in thefirst opening 20, theuser 20 may rotate the crank 14 and thereby provide power to the shredding assembly (not shown) to move the object D through thehousing 12 while simultaneously shredding or destroying the object D. As shown inFIG. 2 , the modified object D′ may exit thehousing 12 on a different side and in a shredded or destroyed state. -
FIG. 3 depicts a top view of the hand-heldshredding device 10 according to an embodiment of the invention. Thefirst opening 20 in thehousing 12 may extend longitudinally along the hand-heldshredding device 10 between thecrank 14 and the grippingportion 15. A periphery of thefirst opening 20 may include a plurality ofprotrusions 22 extending transversely into thefirst opening 20. The plurality ofprotrusions 22 may be formed integrally with thefirst member 16 of thehousing 12 and may be arranged in an alternating fashion on the longitudinally extending edges defining the periphery of thefirst opening 20. Theprotrusions 22 may serve to bend or corrugate the object D upon receipt within thefirst opening 20 and thereby promote linear entry of the object D through the shredding assembly (not shown) by inhibiting longitudinal movement of the object D. Theblades 24 of the shredding assembly can be seen in the embodiment depicted inFIG. 3 . -
FIG. 4 depicts a bottom view of the hand-heldshredding device 10 according to an embodiment of the invention. As shown inFIG. 4 , thesecond member 18 of thehousing 12 may include asecond opening 30 through which the object D′ may exit after being shredded or destroyed by theblades 24 of the shredding assembly. Thesecond opening 30 may be arranged on thehousing 12 substantially opposite thefirst opening 20 such that the object D may have a substantially linear path through thehousing 12. Thesecond opening 30 may have substantially the same size and orientation as thefirst opening 20. Thesecond member 18 may include a grippingportion 17 which may be, for example, an indentation or recess disposed at the same end of thehousing 12 as the grippingportion 15 and configured to be gripped by the hand of the user during shredding. The grippingportion 17 may effectively mirror grippingportion 15 as shown inFIG. 5 which depicts a front view of the hand-heldshredding device 10 ofFIGS. 1-4 . As shown inFIG. 4 , a pair offasteners 26 such as, for example, but not limited to, screws, may be inserted through the grippingportion 17 to secure the first andsecond members housing 12 together. -
FIG. 6 depicts a side view of the hand-heldshredding device 10 ofFIGS. 1-5 . As shown inFIG. 6 , thecrank 14 may include a curved or recessedportion 32 which may serve to provide an ergonomic gripping portion for a user's hand on thecrank 14. The crank 14 may be formed in a variety of shapes and configurations as will be apparent to one of skill in the art. In general, thecrank 14 may have a cross-section of substantially the same size and shape as thehousing 12 to maintain a compact configuration such that the held shreddingdevice 10 can be easily stowed, for example, in a bag, backpack, purse, or carry-on luggage. -
FIG. 7 depicts an exploded perspective view of the hand-heldshredding device 10 ofFIGS. 1-6 . In addition to the above-mentioned features, the hand-heldshredding device 10 may further include a shreddingassembly 40 disposed within the first andsecond members housing 12 and configured to shred/destroy an object D received through thefirst opening 20. Thesecond member 18 may have integrally formed reinforcinggussets 66 disposed along the inner walls thereof to add strength and rigidity to thehousing 12 while allowing for decreased weight. The shreddingassembly 40 may include at least tworotatable shafts 42 extending parallel to one another and longitudinally within thehousing 12. Anend 44 of one of theshafts 42 may be directly connected to the crank 14 such as, for example, by extending outside of thehousing 12 through ahousing connection plate 45 and being secured within anopening 46 in thecrank 14. In this way, manual manipulation of thecrank 14 by a user may provide direct power input to the at least oneshaft 42 to shred the object D. Thehousing connection plate 45 may include a hole 48 through which the at least oneshaft 44 may extend. Thehousing connection plate 45 may also include a plurality of additional holes for receiving fasteners (not shown in FIG. 7—seeFIG. 9 ) for connecting the first andsecond members housing 12 to one another. - According to the embodiment depicted in
FIG. 7 , afirst bearing plate 50 and asecond bearing plate 52 may be positioned within thehousing 12 to support to each of the first and secondrotatable shafts 42. Thefirst bearing plate 50 may includeholes 51 sized and configured to receive and support a first pair ofjournal sleeves 54 disposed on theshafts 42. Thesecond bearing plate 52 may includeholes 53 sized and configured to receive and support a second pair ofjournal sleeves 56 disposed on an opposite end of theshafts 42. A pair ofgears 58 may be fixedly secured on theshafts 42 in driving connection with one another so that the rotational power input to oneshaft 42 by manual manipulation of thecrank 14 may be transferred to theother shaft 42. Each of theshafts 42 may further include a plurality of axially spacedblades 24 disposed thereon. Theshafts 42 may have, for example, a non-circular cross-section or a circular cross-section with a key-way such that each component disposed thereon (e.g., thejournal sleeves gears 58, theblades 24, and/or thespacers 60, 62) cannot rotate relative to theshaft 42. Alternatively, one or more of the components may be integrally formed on or permanently adhered to arespective shaft 42. - Each of the
blades 24 may be spaced from anadjacent blade 24 by one of either afirst spacer 60 or asecond spacer 62. Eachfirst spacer 60 may have a greater axial dimension than eachsecond spacer 62 and the first andsecond spacers shaft 42 in an alternating fashion separated in each instance by ablade 24. More specifically, eachfirst spacer 60 may have an axial dimension greater than an axial dimension of onesecond spacer 62 combined with the thickness of twoadjacent blades 24. For ease of reference, the combination of onesecond spacer 62 and twoadjacent blades 24 shall be hereinafter termed ablade assembly 64. As between theparallel shafts 42 then, eachblade assembly 64 on one of theshafts 42 may be axially offset fromcorresponding blade assemblies 64 on theother shaft 42 by a least the axial dimension of ablade assembly 64 plus the thickness of ablade 24. That is, theblade assemblies 64 on the twoshafts 42 may effectively alternate along the longitudinal dimension of the device such that eachblade assembly 64 on oneshaft 42 may be aligned with afirst spacer 60 on theother shaft 42. In this embodiment, a cutting edge of each of the plurality ofblades 24 on oneshaft 42 may overlap with the cutting edge of ablade 24 on theother shaft 42 on the outside of eachblade assembly 64. -
FIG. 8 depicts an exploded perspective view of a hand-heldshredding device 10′ according to another embodiment of the present invention. The hand-heldshredding device 10′ is substantially the same as the hand-heldshredding device 10 according to the embodiment depicted inFIGS. 1-7 except that thedevice 10′ has a shorter overall longitudinal length and some other features. Thedevice 10 depicted inFIGS. 1-7 may be, for example, sized to receive and shred larger objects D such as, for example, documents printed on standard sized paper (e.g., letter, legal, A4, etc.) even though folding may be required. Alternatively, thedevice 10′ may be sized to receive and shred smaller common objects D such as, for example, but not limited to, paper receipts and the like. As shown inFIG. 8 , thefirst member 16′ of thehousing 12′ may include a longitudinally smallerfirst opening 20′ relative to thefirst opening 20 inhousing 12 above. Likewise, thesecond member 18′ of thehousing 12′ and theshafts 42′ may be longitudinally shorter thansecond member 18 of thehousing 12 and theshafts 42 described above. Additionally, thesecond member 18′ may includeobject support members 68 disposed at each end of thesecond opening 30′ (not shown inFIG. 8 ) and extending towards thefirst opening 20′ in thefirst member 16′. Theobject support members 68 may provide lateral support to an object D during shredding by the shreddingassembly 40′. -
FIG. 9 depicts a bottom perspective view of the hand-heldshredding device 10 according to the embodiment shown inFIGS. 1-7 except that thesecond member 18 of thehousing 12 is removed to show the shreddingassembly 40 disposed within thehousing 12. As shown inFIG. 9 , thefirst member 16 may include a plurality ofguide elements 70 extending from the area adjacent both longitudinal edges of thefirst opening 20 toward thesecond opening 30 in the second member 18 (not shown) and between theshafts 42 of the shreddingassembly 40. More particularly, eachguide element 70 may be a finger-like member extending between twoadjacent blade assemblies 64 on arespective shaft 42, i.e., the space between twoblades 24 defined by one of thefirst spacers 60. Theguide elements 70 may serve to assist in keeping the object D in contact with theblades 24 during shredding as the object D passes through thedevice 10. As shown inFIG. 9 , anadditional journal sleeve 72 may also be disposed on theshaft 42 for rotary support within the hole 48 in thehousing connection plate 45. A plurality offasteners 74 may also be employed for connecting the first andsecond members housing 12 to one another at the end adjacent to thecrank 14. Additionally, for purposes of securing the first andsecond members first member 16 may further include a portion 76a of a snap-fit connection. -
FIG. 10 depicts a top perspective view of thesecond member 18 of thehousing 12 according to the embodiment shown inFIGS. 1-7 and 9. A plurality ofsecond guide elements 80 may be disposed along the longitudinal edges of thesecond opening 30. Each of thesecond guide elements 80 may include an inclined surface configured to direct a shredded object D′ towards thesecond opening 30. Thesecond member 18 may include at least onefastening support 86 for receiving the plurality of fasteners 74 (seeFIG. 9 ) in order to connect the first andsecond members housing 12 to one another. Additionally, for purposes of securing the first andsecond members second member 18 may further include aportion 76b which is configured to be coupled to the other portion 76a of the snap-fit connection.Holes 88 may be positioned on thesecond member 18 for receiving thefasteners 26. Also shown inFIG. 10 are theobject support members 68 discussed in reference to the embodiment depicted inFIG. 8 as well as first and second receivingportions plates - While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described embodiments, but should instead be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.
Claims (20)
1. A hand-held shredding device comprising:
a housing sized and configured to be hand-held and including a first opening configured to receive an object to be shredded and a second opening configured to allow the object to exit the housing upon being shredded;
a shredding assembly disposed within the housing and comprising a first plurality of blades disposed on a first rotatable shaft and a second plurality of blades disposed on a second rotatable shaft, wherein the first and second rotatable shafts are coupled to one another through a geared connection and the first and second pluralities of blades are arranged to cooperate with one another to shred the object; and
a hand-operable crank connected to an end of one of the first or second rotatable shafts of the shredding assembly, wherein the hand-operable crank is configured to be operable by a user's hand to rotate one of the first or second rotatable shafts and thereby provide power to the shredding assembly to contemporaneously shred the object while moving the object towards the second opening.
2. The hand-held shredding device according to claim 1 , wherein a periphery of the first opening includes a plurality of protrusions arranged to contact the object when the object is received in the first opening.
3. The hand-held shredding device according to claim 2 , wherein the plurality of protrusions are alternatingly arranged on opposite longitudinally extending edges of the first opening.
4. The hand-held shredding device according to claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of guide elements extending towards the second opening to guide and support the object during shredding.
5. The hand-held shredding device according to claim 4 , wherein the plurality of guide elements are disposed adjacent to the first opening and extend substantially towards the second opening between the first and second rotatable shafts.
6. The hand-held shredding device according to claim 5 , wherein each of the plurality of guide elements are positioned between two adjacent blades disposed on one of the first or second rotatable shafts.
7. The hand-held shredding device according to claim 4 , further comprising a second plurality of guide elements positioned adjacent to the second opening to guide the object towards the second opening after shredding.
8. The hand-held shredding device according to claim 7 , wherein each of the second plurality of guide elements includes an inclined surface arranged to guide the object towards the second opening after shredding.
9. The hand-held shredding device according to claim 7 , wherein the second plurality of guide elements are integrally formed on an inner surface of the second member of the housing.
10. The hand-held shredding device according to claim 4 , wherein the plurality of guide elements are integrally formed on an inner surface of the first member of the housing.
11. The hand-held shredding device according to claim 1 , wherein the housing defines a longitudinal dimension and two mutually orthogonal transverse dimensions, the hand-operable crank being arranged at an end of the housing along the longitudinal dimension.
12. The hand-held shredding device according to claim 11 , wherein the first and second openings extend along the longitudinal dimension on opposite sides of the housing.
13. The hand-held shredding device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first plurality of blades is arranged to cooperate with one of the second plurality of blades to contemporaneously shred the object while moving the object towards the second opening.
14. The hand-held shredding device according to claim 13 , wherein each of the first plurality of blades is longitudinally offset from the respective cooperating one of the second plurality of blades by at least a thickness of one of the blades.
15. The hand-held shredding device according to claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises a first member and a second member, the first member and the second member configured to be secured to one another.
16. The hand-held shredding device according to claim 15 , wherein the first and second members of the housing are secured to one another by fasteners, a detent connection, a latch connection, and/or some combination thereof.
17. The hand-held shredding device according to claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of blades are integrally formed on the first rotatable shaft and the second plurality of blades are integrally formed on the second rotatable shaft.
18. The hand-held shredding device according to claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of blades are removably secured on the first rotatable shaft and the second plurality of blades are removably secured on the second rotatable shaft.
19. The hand-held shredding device according to claim 1 , wherein the hand-operable crank has a cross-sectional size and shape substantially identical to the housing.
20. The hand-held shredding device according to claim 1 , wherein the housing includes an indented portion at a longitudinal end opposite the hand-operable crank.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US12/073,761 US20080217450A1 (en) | 2007-03-08 | 2008-03-10 | Hand-held shredding device for paper or the like |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US90558807P | 2007-03-08 | 2007-03-08 | |
US12/073,761 US20080217450A1 (en) | 2007-03-08 | 2008-03-10 | Hand-held shredding device for paper or the like |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20080217450A1 true US20080217450A1 (en) | 2008-09-11 |
Family
ID=39740662
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US12/073,761 Abandoned US20080217450A1 (en) | 2007-03-08 | 2008-03-10 | Hand-held shredding device for paper or the like |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20080217450A1 (en) |
CA (1) | CA2625104A1 (en) |
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20140332613A1 (en) * | 2013-05-08 | 2014-11-13 | Licheng Zhou | Shredder support frame |
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Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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CA2625104A1 (en) | 2008-09-08 |
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Legal Events
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AS | Assignment |
Owner name: ESSELTE CORPORATION, NEW YORK Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:JONES, BRADEN L.;HOLMAN, CHRIS;REEL/FRAME:020949/0062 Effective date: 20080313 |
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STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |